Integrating video, voice and data traffic in a single conferencing system

ABSTRACT

Video, voice and data are integrated using existing telephone connections by using a video network server to receive and transmit video signals to and from clients using telephone wires. Client frequency division multiplexing couplers, each associated with one of the clients, receive video and telephone signals from the client and frequency multiplex them onto the telephone wires for transmission. They also receive video signals from the server and frequency demultiplex them for transmission to the client. A video frequency division multiplexing coupler connected between the video network server and each of the client frequency division multiplexing couplers receive the video and telephone signals from the clients and transmit only the video signals to the video network server. A telephone frequency division multiplexing coupler connected between a telephone network switch and each of the client frequency division multiplexing couplers receive the video and telephone signals from the clients and transmit only the telephone signals to the telephone network switch.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation of prior application Ser. No.09/619,522 filed Jul. 19, 2000 which is a continuation of priorapplication Ser. No. 08/576,080, filed Dec. 21, 1995, the priority whichis hereby claimed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to the fields of telecommunicationsand computing, and more particularly, to the integration of voice, videoand computer data in a single network conferencing system.

[0004] 2. Prior Art

[0005] As we enter the new era of multi-media video conferencingtechnology, more emphasis is being placed on the utilization of personalcomputer work stations, both within the office and at home, as a primarymeans of communications with others inside and outside the facility.Until recently, however, the differences in the nature of the types ofdata needed to be communicated (i.e., voice, video and computer data) inaddition to the wiring infrastructures of the facilities has inhibitedthe integration of these “services” within a single network conferencingsystem.

[0006] Conventional conferencing systems are currently focusing on theuse of local area networks (LAN's) as the infrastructure for videoconferencing and messaging in the belief that LANs, in addition to widearea networks (WAN's) accessed via a LAN-WAN gateway, are the mostubiquitous communication medium available to desktop computers today.The industry, therefore, is focused on trying to achieve solutions forvideo conferencing and messaging that use the existing LAN wiring andinfrastructure in place within the buildings.

[0007] Although LAN's are the preferred interface for computer data andmessage trafficking within a particular facility due to the highbandwidth capability and available server functions provided for LANs,this medium of communication does not readily allow for the integrationof voice and video data with computer data. This is because LANstransmit data asynchronously, whereas voice and video data need to betransmitted in an isochronous format that guarantees a certain amount ofbandwidth. LANs are also expensive networks to set-up and maintain. Onthe other hand, if a telephone PBX were used as the primarycommunications medium for a conferencing system, problems would arisewith respect to the quality of the transmitted video image since PBXshave low bandwidths. Furthermore, the use of telephone PBXs is alsoexpensive due to the cost in connecting to and utilizing the proprietaryprotocols of typical-site PBX. Alternately, current video-conferencingroom systems provide for WAN interfaces. They also provide higherbandwidth, isochronous connections. However, they do not allow forsharing of the WAN interfaces amongst many clients and thus are noteconomical.

[0008] Accordingly, the Telephone PBX and the LAN/WAN Gateway force achoice between bandwidth and isochrony: PBXs provide isochronouschannels but they are very low bandwidth connections used primarily forvoice, while LAN/WAN Gateways, provide high bandwidth, but the channelsthey provide are not isochronous.

[0009] In contrast the present invention is based on the assumption thatthe telephone wiring or CATV wiring in a building is far more ubiquitousthan LAN wiring. The hypothesis is that every business desktop PC has anassociated telephone, while every home or small business PC is alsoassociated with a Cable TV (CATV) connection in addition to a telephone.It would therefore be advantageous to provide a single conferencingmechanism for use by desktop computers at home or in the office whichprovides an integrated conferencing system having low-cost,bi-directional, isochronous, high bandwidth communications channelsimplemented through use of the ubiquitous wiring within the buildinginfra-structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] It is therefore a feature of the present invention to provide anetwork conferencing system, for the integration of video, voice andcomputer data traffic, implemented within the already existing,ubiquitous infrastructure wiring of a facility.

[0011] It is another feature of the present invention to provide anintegrated network conferencing system that establishes low cost,bidirectional, high bandwidth isochronous channels to a plurality ofdesktop computers for the transmission of isochronous informationstreams so that these streams do not contend with other data trafficoriginating at the desktop computers.

[0012] It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide anintegrated network system having a server architecture and LANconnection for unifying the means of accomplishing several key functionsrequired by the desktop computer of the future for conferencing andmessaging.

[0013] It is a further feature of the present invention to provide anintegrated network system having a LAN/WAN gateway connection forhandling outside video calls and a network coupling for enabling thesharing and scheduling of external network connections.

[0014] It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide anintegrated network system as described above which further allowsuniformity in the desktop computers used since no special LAN/WAN or PBXcharacteristics need to be accommodated among the different computers.

[0015] To accomplish these and other features, the present inventionprovides an internetwork communications apparatus for integrating video,voice and computer data traffic in a conferencing system andtransmitting the data traffic between the conferencing system and both,a wide area telephone network (WAN) as well as a local telephonenetwork. In the preferred embodiment, the conferencing system comprisesa plurality of computer systems coupled to a local area network (LAN)each having at least a video input/output device and an audioinput/output device for enabling video conferencing in addition to anassociated telephone for enabling separate voice communication. Thecommunications apparatus comprises a network server forming a videoprivate branch exchange (VPBX) coupled to the LAN for controlling thetransmission of video data. The apparatus also comprises a LAN/WANgateway coupled to the LAN and controlled by the VPBX for thetransmission of video conferencing and computer data from the computersto the WAN.

[0016] Additionally, the communications apparatus further comprisesfirst and second relay means coupled between each computer and anon-site private branch exchange (PBX) of the telephone network andcontrolled by the VPBX. In one embodiment, the relay means each compriseelectrical contact switches for selecting between the video conferencingdata and the voice data signals input from the computer and itsassociated telephone respectively. The selected data signals aretransmitted from the first relay means on an isochronous channel on thetelephone wire to the second relay means where the appropriate outputfrom the second relay means is selected for transmission to one of theVPBX or the PBX of the telephone network.

[0017] Yet, the electrical contact switches of the relay means allowonly one of the video conferencing data or the voice data to betransmitted at any one time. Therefore, in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the present invention, the first and second relay meansrespectively comprise a first and second frequency division multiplexedcoupler. The first frequency division multiplexer can operate tomultiplex the frequencies of video conferencing and voice signals onto atelephone wire for simultaneous transmission from the first to thesecond relay means. The second frequency division multiplexed couplerdemultiplexes the transmitted signal and couples the respective outputsignals to the appropriate network. The operation of the first andsecond relay means is controlled by the VPBX, with the control signalsbeing transmitted thereto via the LAN and the associated computers. Thefrequency division multiplexed coupler comprises a first modulating unitfor modulating a frequency of a first outgoing signal to a firstmodulated signal having a frequency range corresponding to a firstcarrier signal. The frequency division multiplexed coupler alsocomprises a second modulating unit for modulating a frequency of asecond outgoing signal to a second modulated signal having a frequencyrange corresponding to a second carrier signal. A frequency multiplexeris coupled to the first modulating unit and the second modulating unitfor multiplexing the first modulated signal and the second modulatedsignal onto a single telephone wire for transmission to a remote site.

[0018] In order to couple the video conferencing data output from eachcomputer to the individual channels of the VPBX, the apparatus furthercomprises a fan-in multiplexor coupled between the plurality of thesecond relay means and the VPBX. The fan-in multiplexor comprises aplurality of electrical switches each having a plurality of contactscoupled to the video data output signals of the plurality of secondrelay means for multiplexing the video data output signals into theplurality of VPBX channels.

[0019] With the apparatus and conferencing system described above, thepresent invention enables the video conferencing data traffic to be sentto the VPBX and subsequently to the WAN without interference from orcontention with other traffic on the LAN. Additionally, telephoneconferences can be held separately from and simultaneously with videoconferences at a desktop conferencing station by implementation of thefirst and second relay means preferably comprising a frequency divisionmultiplexor and demultiplexor for multiplexing both types of datasignals on the same telephone line.

[0020] In accordance with an alternate embodiment of the presentinvention, the conferencing system described above is modified forimplementation of conferencing stations within both residential andsmall business facilities each having at least a computer and a videoconferencing device. In this respect, the VPBX is implemented within aCATV cable head-end station for connecting together the conferencingdata traffic from each of the facilities at this single location. Withineach conference station, a control unit is provided for receiving asinput computer data signals from an attached computer system and videoconferencing data signals from an attached video conferencing device.

[0021] The control unit comprises among other things data compressioncircuitry for compressing the video conferencing data signals, digitalto analog (D/A) conversion circuitry for converting the digital videoconferencing data and computer data signals into respective analogsignals, modulating/demodulating circuitry for frequency modulating anddemodulating of the data signals transmitted to and received from theCATV cable head-end station via the CATV wiring, and processor logicwith associated memory for controlling and tracking the operation of thedata compression circuitry, the D/A conversion circuitry and themodulating/demodulating circuitry.

[0022] The VPBX receives as input the modulated signals transmitted fromeach of the conference stations and has modulating/demodulatingcircuitry associated with each CATV cable wiring input for frequencymodulating and demodulating of the data signals transmitted to andreceived from each conference station. The VPBX further comprises afan-in multiplexor coupled to the modulating/demodulating circuitry ofthe associated CATV cable wiring inputs for receiving as input thedemodulated video conferencing and computer data signals from eachconference station. The fan-in multiplexor is further coupled to a WANgateway via a plurality of isochronous channel lines and to a LAN via aplurality of asynchronous lines for multiplexing the video conferencingdata signals and the computer data signals received from themodulating/demodulating circuitry into the channel lines of the WANgateway and the channel lines of the LAN, respectively.

[0023] In this manner, the conference stations of the present inventioncan be implemented within residential and small business facilities, yetbe coupled together for the integrated transmission of videoconferencing data and computer data between stations. The VPBX in thisembodiment then acts as a neighborhood server for the plurality ofconferencing stations by coupling together in an efficient manner thevideo conferencing and computer data traffic between all the stations inone central, logical location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The objects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill become apparent from the following detailed description in which:

[0025]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the integrated conferencing system ofthe present invention for use by large businesses showing a generalizedembodiment of the internetwork communications apparatus and a singleconference station.

[0026]FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary arrangement of the various Serverresources, Client resources and other migrating resources.

[0027]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a plurality of individual conferencestations within the conferencing system of the present invention showingthe first and second relay means comprising electrical contact switches.

[0028]FIG. 4a is a block diagram of a plurality of individual conferencestations within the conferencing system of the present invention showingthe first and second relay means respectively comprising frequencydivision multiplexors (FDMs).

[0029]FIG. 4b illustrates how the FDM modulates the frequency of twosignals.

[0030]FIG. 5 is block diagram of an individual conference stationdepicting the compression and signal conversion of the videoconferencing data signals transmitted to the associated FDM.

[0031]FIG. 6 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the FDM.

[0032]FIG. 7 is a diagram representing the fan-in multiplexor used inthe present invention.

[0033]FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an alternate embodiment of theintegrated conferencing system of the present invention for use byresidential homes and small businesses, showing the client controllerimplemented within an individual conference station (at home) and theVPBX implemented within a CATV station head.

[0034]FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method of transmitting aplurality of signals on a single telephone wire.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0035] A method and apparatus for integrating video, voice and computerdata traffic in a single, conferencing system using existing telephoneand CATV connections is described. In the following descriptions,numerous details such as specific network components and circuitry,specific wiring characteristics, data transmission characteristics, etc.are given in order to provide a thorough understanding of the presentinvention. It will be obvious, however, to one skilled in the art thatnot all the details given are required to practice the presentinvention. In other instances, well-known components, features,interconnections and the like are not set forth in detail in order toavoid obscuring the description of the present invention

[0036] According to the present invention, shown generally in FIG. 1,the integrated desktop conferencing system comprises three primarycomponents, namely a desktop computer (also referred to as the “Client”)101, a network server machine 102 (also referred to as the “Server”),and the wiring infrastructure of the facility 104. The present inventionwill be described in terms of two scenarios, specifically one for use ina large business (the “Big Business Model”) and one for use in a smallbusiness or home office (the “Small Business Model”). Additionally,several different categories of wiring infrastructure can be used toconnect the Client to the Server, including Local Area Network (LAN)wiring, telephone wiring, Cable TV (CATV) wiring, power supply wiringand wireless or remote connections. Although only two of thesescenarios, specifically the telephone and CATV wiring infrastructures,are described herein in detail, each of these wiring infrastructures areubiquitous and can be used in the present invention.

[0037] It is also noted that so long as the wiring infrastructureselected is capable of supporting a certain minimum isochronous datarate, it does not matter what protocol is used on the wire. Forinstance, an analog video signal could be transmitted on the wiringinfrastructure, or alternatively, a digital information stream might beused. The most economical protocol that could be employed and stillprovide the appropriate bandwidth and real-time characteristics would bethe appropriate choice. For instance, in the case that digitalinformation streams are transmitted, the well-known and economicalEthernet protocol could be used.

[0038] Referring again to FIG. 1, the Client 101 is the instrumentemployed by the user to engage in conferencing and messaging, comprisinga desktop computer in the preferred embodiment. It is connected by somewiring infrastructure 104 to the Server. The Server 102 embodies theservices provided to one or more users at one or more Client sites andthe resources that are shared amongst these users. The main function ofthe Server 102 is to connect the local wiring infrastructure 104 to thelong haul WANs 110. It is also the natural locus for several types offunctions that will be needed to support such conferencing and messagingapplications. Furthermore, the Server 102 must also: (1) be able tointerface to a wide variety of WAN connections and insulate the Client102 from these, (2) provide a high bandwidth isochronous connection tothe Client 102, and (3) be cost-effective in its over-all implementationand use.

[0039] The conferencing system of the present invention utilizes threeclasses of resources (i.e., application tools) comprising Clientresources 201, Server resources 202 and migrating resources 203 as shownin FIG. 2 and described below.

[0040] Client resources: Certain functions reside naturally at theClient end, namely the camera and the display required for conferencing.

[0041] Server resources: Likewise, certain functions reside naturally atthe Server end, namely, the interface connections to the WAN, sources ofBusiness TV channels, sources of video clips for playback to the Client,etc. The Server isolates the Client from the idiosyncrasies of theshared resources. For instance, depending on geographic location andtype of service desired, the WAN connection is highly variable today inits interface characteristics. This variability in interfacing to theWAN is subsumed into the Server and the Clients may then be uniform intheir construction.

[0042] Migrating resources: Finally, there is a class of functions thatmay reside either in the Client or in the Server. Where they reside atany time and in any specific implementation is determined by overallimplementation cost, degree of sharing required, desired image qualitylevel, etc. Over time, these resources may migrate from Client to Serveror vice versa based on changes in cost, quality, need for sharing and soon. In addition, where these functions are implemented (i.e., in theClient or in the Server) also determines the type of protocol that isemployed on the wiring infrastructure which connects the Client to theServer. Examples of migrating resources are:

[0043] A/D converter: for converting the output signal of an analogcamera to a digital stream.

[0044] D/A converter: for converting an incoming analog signal into adigital stream required by the display.

[0045] Codec: for compressing/decompressing the digital informationstream according to some compression algorithm.

I. THE BIG BUSINESS MODEL

[0046] In this first scenario, the wiring infrastructure chosen ispreferably the in-building telephone wire. The characteristics of thisenvironment are typically as follows: Telephone wiring is trulyubiquitous since all desktops are assumed to have an associated phone,even though the Client may not be connected to a LAN; telephone wiringis used for isochronous, proprietary protocols to transmit audio streamsfrom the desk telephone to the site PBX; and telephone services, beingcritical to a business, should not be altered as a result ofimplementing video-conferencing. It is noted that although the telephonewiring infrastructure is not composed of data grade cable (i.e.,Categories 4 and 5), it is still adequate for transmitting around1.5-2.0 MBits/second which is sufficient to provide near broadcastquality video (e.g., MPEG or CD-ROM).

[0047] Since the Telephone is a mission-critical device for a typicalbusiness, video-conferencing solutions should not alter any of thefunctions provided by the user's telephone network. Accordingly, thisinvention allows the use of telephone wire 310 for video conferencingtraffic while preserving telephone functionality for the user. In thisregard, FIG. 3 shows an implementation which utilizes standard relays301 and 302 to achieve this. When normal telephone function is desired,the relays 301 connect the telephones 320 on the desk to the site PBX asis usual. When video conferencing is desired, or an incoming video callis accepted, the Server 102 communicates with the Client 101 over theLAN connection 330 and causes the two relays, one at the Client 301 sideand one at the Server 302 side, to be set on the opposite poles. Thetelephone wire 310 can now be used for video conferencing traffic fromthe Client 101 to the Server 102, although the telephone 320 cannot beused for the duration of the video call. When the telephone 320 isdisconnected for video use of the wire, the site PBX 340 perceives thisas being equivalent to the user being absent from his desk, and anyincoming voice calls are directed by the site PBX 340 either to aroll-over extension or to the user's voice mail-box.

[0048] However, the relay switching solution to using the telephonewiring 310 for video-conferencing has the distinct disadvantage thatonly one type of connection (voice or video) can be made. This isacceptable if the only use of video is for conferencing. Yet, when thevideo connection is being used for playback of video clips for training,or for transporting business TV channels to the Client 101, then to lockout normal voice telephone calls would not be desirable. Therefore, asan improvement over the use of relays 301 and 302 in switching fromtelephone to video communication, a preferred implementation of thepresent invention utilizes Frequency Division Multiplexed (FDM) couplersor T-couplers 401 and 402 to connect each of the desktop computers ofthe plurality of Clients 101 to the Server 102. The FDM couplers 401 and402, shown in FIG. 4(a), achieve a frequency division multiplexing ofthe normal voice channel and the video channel onto the same wire at thesame time. As shown in FIG. 4(b), it does this by shifting the videochannel upward to a higher region of the frequency spectrum (Broadband)while the normal voice call occupies its normal frequency band(Baseband).

[0049] Due to the fact that the FDM couplers 401 and 402 of the presentinvention are preferably designed to multiplex analog as opposed todigital signals, the incoming video from the Client 101 into FDM coupler401 or from the Server 102 into FDM coupler 402 must be converted toanalog form. Depending on the type of phone system implemented, voicedata from the phones 320 may or may not need to be converted to analogform. Referring to FIG. 5, since analog to digital conversion andcompression of the video data is performed digitally within the desktopcomputer 101 (assuming these migrating resource are currently locatedthere), the digital video output signal is input to a digital to analogconverter, such as a modem, before it is input to the respective FDMcoupler. In another embodiment of the present invention, the FDMcouplers 401 and 402 comprise circuitry for performing the digital toanalog and analog to digital conversion of data internally. FIG. 6illustrates a block diagram of such an embodiment.

[0050]FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram illustrating one embodiment ofFDM coupler 401. FDM coupler 401 comprises an outgoing signal processingunit 690 and an incoming signal processing unit 695. Outgoing signalprocessing unit 690 operates to process signals received from Client 101and phone 320 to be transmitted to FDM coupler 402. Incoming signalprocessing unit 695 operates to process signals received from FDMcoupler 402 to be transmitted to Client 101 and phone 320. A first setof lines 601, 602, and 603 are coupled to FDM coupler 401. Lines 601,602, and 603 carry video signals from Client 101 to FDM 401. A secondline 604 is coupled to FDM coupler 401. Line 604 carries phone signalsfrom phone 320 to FDM coupler 401. Lines 601, 602, 603, and 604 are eachcoupled to a digital to analog (D/A) converter inside FDM coupler 401.D/A converter 611 is coupled to line 601 and operates to convert digitalvideo signals into analog video signals. D/A converter 612 is coupled toline 602 and operates to convert digital voice signals into analog voicesignals. D/A converter 613 is coupled to line 603 and operates toconvert digital data signals into analog data signals. D/A converter 614is coupled to line 604 and operates to convert digital phone signalsinto analog phone signals.

[0051] D/A converters 611, 612, 613, and 614 are coupled to modulatorunits 621, 622, 623, and 624 respectfully. Modulator units 621, 622,623, and 624 operate to modulate the frequency of each of the analogsignals from D/A converters 611, 612, 613, and 614 with respect to acarrier signal frequency. Each of the modulating units 621, 622, 623,and 624 operate with a different carrier signal. As a result, each ofthe analog signals from D/A converters 611, 612, 613, and 614 will bemodulated to a different frequency level with respect to one another.

[0052] Modulating units 621, 622, 623, and 624 are coupled to filters631, 632, 633, and 634 respectively. Filters 631, 632, 633, and 634operate to filter out noise and harmonics generated by modulating unit621, 622, 623, and 624 in frequency ranges outside that of thedesignated carrier signal. This allows the video signals from line 601,the voice signals from line 602, the data signals from line 603, and thephone signals from line 604 to be carried in each of its own band.

[0053] Frequency multiplexer 635 is coupled to filters 631, 632, 633,and 634. Frequency multiplexer 635 operates to combine the bands ofsignals received from filters 631, 632, 633, and 634 and to output thesignals on a single telephone line 636. Telephone line 636 is used totransmit video, voice, data, and phone signals originating from lines601, 602, 603, and 604 to FDM coupler 402 located at the location of theServer 102.

[0054] Line 650 is a telephone line used for transmitting analog video,voice, data, and phone signals from the FDM coupler 402 at the locationof Server 102 to FDM coupler 401. Signals from telephone line 650 areinput to video filter 651, voice filter 652, data filter 653, and phonefilter 654. Video filter 651 operates to filter out bands allocated tosignals other than video signals. Voice filter 652 operates to filterout bands allocated to signals other than voice signals. Data filter 653operates to filter out bands allocated to signals other than datasignals. Phone filter 654 operates to filter out bands allocated tosignals other than phone signals.

[0055] Video filter 651, voice filter 652, data filter 653, and phonefilter 654 are coupled to demodulating units 661, 662, 663, and 664respectively. Demodulating units 661, 662, 663, and 664 operate toinject the same carrier signal as those used to modulate the video,voice, data, and phone signals in modulator units 621, 622, 623, and624.

[0056] Demodulator units 661, 662, 663, and 664 are coupled to filters671, 672, 673, and 674 respectively. Filters 671, 672, 673, and 674operate to filter out noise and harmonics generated by demodulating unit661, 662, 663, and 664 in frequency ranges outside that of the originalfrequency of the signals.

[0057] Analog to digital (A/D) converters 681, 682, 683, and 684 arecoupled to filters 671, 672, 673, and 674 respectfully. A/D converters681, 682, 683, and 684 operate to digitize the analog signals receivedfrom filters 671, 672, 673, and 674. Line 691 is coupled to A/Dconverter 681 and operates to transmit digital video signals to Client101. Line 692 is coupled to A/D converter 682 and operates to transmitdigital voice signals to Client 101. Line 693 is coupled to A/Dconverter 683 and operates to transmit digital data signals to Client101. Line 694 is coupled to A/D converter 684 and operates to transmitdigital phone signals to phone 320.

[0058] FDM coupler 402 operates similarly to FDM coupler 401 as shown inFIG. 6. Telephone wire 636 from FDM coupler 401 is coupled to anincoming signal processing unit similar to that of incoming signalprocessing unit 695 of FDM coupler 401. Lines for video, voice, and datasignals from Video PBX 350 and a line for phone signals from SiteTelephone PBX 340 are coupled to an outgoing signal processing unitsimilar to that of outgoing signal processing unit 690 of FDM coupler401.

[0059] Furthermore, in order to enable the WAN connections in the Serverto be shared among the Clients 101 in the work group for video traffic,a fan-in multiplexor 350 (shown generally in each of FIGS. 3 & 4(a), butdetailed in FIG. 7), comprising a plurality of arranged relays 710, isused to multiplex M active video channels of M Clients into N channelsconnecting the Server to the LAN/WAN gateway. The relays 710 can beelectronic switches in addition to simple contact switches. FIG. 7 is adiagram representation of the fan-in multiplexer. If the size of theClient work group being served by the Server is, for example, M users(M>N), then the M channels coming toward the Server must be multiplexedinto no more than N inputs into the Server. Obviously, with thisarrangement, there can be at most N Clients with video calls inprogress, with the others waiting their turn to originate a video call.

[0060] The control port of the fan-in multiplexor 350, depicted in FIG.7, represents a mechanism of an outside agent (e.g., the Server) thataffects the setting of the relays 710 inside the fan-in multiplexor 350.The control port 720 is used to set the appropriate relays 710 in theappropriate configuration at the time of setting up a video conferencingcall or terminating one. Additionally, coupled to each relay 710 is arepeater R 730 comprising a regeneration device (e.g., a digital bustransceiver, or an analog video amplifier) which is used to minimizesignal attenuation.

II. THE HOME/SMALL BUSINESS MODEL

[0061] In the second scenario of implementing the present invention ineither a home or small business, the CATV wiring in these facilitieswould be used as the infrastructure. CATV wiring is chosen for thisimplementation for the following reasons: It is ubiquitous since nearly99% of U.S. homes have a CATV cable running nearby if not actuallyconnected to the home; the CATV cable is a high bandwidth medium whichis expected to provide even higher bandwidth in the near future whendigital transmission and compression provide the capability of shipping500 or more channels downstream to the CATV markets; the CATVinfrastructure is designed for two way communication although theinstalled base does not yet take advantage of the upstream channels; andthere are possible frequency spectrum allocation strategies on the CATVcable that can improve the capacity and number of upstream channels.

[0062] The same Client-Server model described above is implemented inthe home or small business application using CATV wiring. The CATVinfrastructure is used to transmit conferencing information streams fromthe home or small business to the CATV cable head-end (at a CATV stationcenter) where a Server (as described above) installed at the cablehead-end is able to direct these conferencing streams comprisingcomputer data and video conferencing data to the appropriate LAN andWAN. LAN and WAN connections in addition to the Codecs reside in theServer at the cable head-end and are shared by all of the subscribers tothe facility. Connect time to Codecs and the LAN and WAN connectionswould be rented out to subscribers. The cost of the Codecs and othershared Server components is eventually amortized over a large user baseand therefore higher quality Codecs can be used.

[0063] The Client in this scenario comprises a very low cost control boxoffered for rental by the CATV provider to the end user. It wouldconnect to the user's TV as does today's cable TV control box. It wouldalso provide the capability of connecting a camera, a microphone and ahome computer to it. This set up would allow video, as well as bothaudio and data conferencing. If the Client environment is in a hotel,the hotel could offer the Client side hardware as a rental option tohotel guests and implement a CATV-based VPBX within its facilities forsharing by its guests.

[0064] Additionally, several physical channels on the CATV cable couldbe “stacked” together to provide enough bandwidth to present to the usera semblance of a logical LAN (e.g., Ethernet) connection. In thismanner, logical star-configured LANs could be provided from the CATVproviders cable head end that allow a home-based computer to benetworked to other computers at other locations. This kind of a servicewould be invaluable in supporting telecommuting applications sincehome-based computers could be networked to those at business officesites via the ubiquitous CATV wiring infrastructure. Such virtual LANson the CATV infrastructure would also facilitate integrated messagingapplications for the vast home market.

[0065] The Client side hardware, referred to herein as the “Clientcontroller” 810 is depicted in FIG. 8. It consists of the modulators 811and demodulators 812 that allow the transmission of information streamsover selected physical frequency bands on the CATV cable, thus providinglogical information channels. The Client controller 810 also providesconnection ports 830 where a camera, a microphone and even a computercan be attached. A connection to the home TV set would further allow theTV to function as a video-conferencing display. The Client controller810 further comprises an internal processor with RAM 840 and FlashMemory 841 to provide intelligence to the Client controller that can beprogrammed remotely from the cable head-end.

[0066] Also shown in FIG. 8 is the CATV cable 845 coupling of the Clientcontroller 810 of one residence to the VPBX 850 at the CATV head. Asshown, the VPBX 850 comprises modulator circuitry 851 and demodulatorcircuitry 852 for each CATV input 845 in order to demodulate a modulatedCATV signal into respective computer data, video conferencing data andTV data signals subsequently input to a fan-in multiplexor 855 forcoupling the appropriate data signals to the WAN gateway 860, the LANhub 861 and the TV PBX 862 residing at the CATV head-end.

[0067] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of this model, thefan-in multiplexer would be implemented within the tuner/demodulatorcircuitry 851 of the VPBX Server 850 so that the Server 850 acts as the“neighborhood Server” for a neighborhood served by the CATV provider.When a physical channel on the cable is selected to serve avideo-conference originating from a particular home, the neighborhoodserver would then connect that physical channel to one of the channelsbetween the neighborhood server and the cable head end, or the WAN 860,that is reserved for video-conferencing. If there are N such reservedchannels between the neighborhood server and the WAN or cable head end,then no more than N video conferences can be in progress simultaneouslyin that neighborhood.

[0068] Furthermore, the Client controller unit 810 and the neighborhoodServer 850 together could be used to “stack” several of the physicalchannels available on the CATV cable to serve as a virtual LANconnection. In this case, each subscribing home unit would then be atthe leaf position of a star configuration LAN centered on a logical LANHub at the cable head end of that particular CATV cable. The logical LANhub would be connected to other hubs via a WAN or other means togenerate geographically distributed LANs. The predominant use of thisscheme is anticipated in providing metropolitan area LANs that couldsupport telecommuting applications.

[0069]FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method for using a telephonewire for transmitting a plurality of signals such as video and phonesignals. For processing outgoing signals at a first site, firstdetermine which signals are digital signals and which signals are analogsignals. This is illustrated in block 901. Convert signals which aredigital signals to analog signals. This is shown in block 902. Using acarrier signal with a unique frequency for each of the analog signals,modulate each of the analog signals to the frequency of itscorresponding carrier signal such that each of the modulated analogsignals are at a different frequency range. This is shown in block 903.Filter away harmonics in each of the modulated analog signals which donot belong in the frequency range of the analog signal's correspondingcarrier signal. This is shown in block 904. Multiplex the modulatedanalog signals onto a telephone wire for transmission to a remote site.This is shown in block 905.

[0070] For processing incoming modulated analog signals multiplexed on atelephone wire, filter the incoming modulated analog signals to isolatethe band of each of the modulated analog signals. This is shown in block906. Demodulate each of the modulated analog signals using the frequencyof the modulated analog signal's corresponding carrier signal. This isshown in block 907. Filter away the harmonics in each of the demodulatedanalog signals which do not belong in the frequency range of the analogsignal's corresponding carrier signal. This is shown in block 908.Determine which of the demodulated analog signals are to be processeddigitally. This is shown in block 909. Convert these analog signals todigital signals. This is shown in block 910.

[0071] In summary, unlike conventional networks for integrating video,voice and computer data traffic, the present invention is able to avoidcontention with other data traffic flowing to or from the desktopcomputer, provides a low-cost, high bandwidth, bi-directional channelfor isochronous information streams that uses existing ubiquitous wiringinfrastructure without significant perturbations to the infrastructure,and lowers the cost of video-conferencing and messaging by providing forthe sharing of expensive or higher-quality functional units.

[0072] The use of relays 301 and 302 in a first implementation of thelarge business model allow the telephone wiring to be appropriated forthe purpose of transmitting high bandwidth isochronous data traffic(e.g., video-conferencing). The high reliability and passive nature ofthe relay components 301 and 302 ensures that the overall reliability ofthe telephone network is not compromised. Furthermore, the way in whichthese relays 301 and 302 are incorporated into the telephone wiring canbe designed to ensure that during power failures, or if the user'scomputer is turned off, the relays 301 and 302 default to a contactposition internally that preserves the connection of the desktoptelephone to the site PBX.

[0073] With the use of FDM couplers 401 & 402, the second implementationof the large business model allows the transmission of high bandwidth,isochronous data traffic on telephone wires but without any contentionwith the telephone traffic that could be using the wire at the sametime. This has the distinct advantage that normal telephone functions atthe user's desk are not changed or diminished. Again, as in the case ofthe relay-based solution, FDM couplers 401 and 402 are passive deviceand will not affect the reliability of ordinary telephone service at theuser's desk.

[0074] With respect to the Server 102, the Server 102 is a fundamentalcomponent of both wiring infrastructure scenarios. It provideshigh-bandwidth isochronous information channels to Clients on the onehand, while connecting to the WAN with all its variability on the otherhand. It also forms the logical locus at which video-playback,video-record and business TV transmission functions might be connectedfor everyone to use. It is designed to do all of this at an economicalprice point by allowing resources to be shared and thereby reducingper-Client cost. Most importantly, it is the first time that suchcapabilities are integrated into a single functional unit.

[0075] The Server 102 can also be a locus for facilitating integratedmessaging by interfacing to the site PBX 340 via a regular telephoneline. This allows the Server to scan the voice-mail boxes of the workgroup that it serves and present these as sound objects in the user'sintegrated electronic mailbox.

[0076] Additionally, the fan-in multiplexer 350 is an inexpensive switchbox that does not have to be as sophisticated as a cross point switch.All it needs to accomplish is the “funneling” of video informationstreams originating at the Client 101 side into the limited number ofoff site WAN connections that are provided by the Server 102. This kindof multiplexing is simple to achieve irrespective of whether the signalsbeing switched are analog or digital, but the fan-in multiplexer 350plays an important role in allowing the number of Client sideconnections to the Server 102 to be reduced to equal the number ofconnections provided on the WAN side of the PBX 102. Furthermore, italso allows the Server 102 to reside in a place physically removed fromthat at which all of the Client connections converge (e.g., a wiringcloset) since only a physically small box embodying the fan-inmultiplexer need be placed at this location.

[0077] With respect to the home or small business scenario, the Clientcontroller 810 in the CATV video-conferencing application comprises anintelligent modulator/demodulator box that for the first time bringstogether video conferencing functions and CATV functions in one unit andenables video-conferencing over the ubiquitous CATV wiringinfrastructure. By connecting a computer to the Client controller 810,data-conferencing can also be achieved.

[0078] Finally, with respect to implementing virtual neighborhood LANsin the second scenario, the advantage of using virtual LANs based on theCATV infrastructure is their significant cost advantage over similarsolutions provided by the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs). TheRBOC solutions will likely require special connections to be broughtinto the subscribers premises for some time to come, and thus, be muchmore expensive. Meanwhile, the CATV infrastructure provides morebandwidth and is already established at virtually every subscriber'spremises. Thus, telecommuting applications are conceivably more likelyto flourish on CATV virtual LANs rather than on RBOC virtual LANs.

[0079] While the invention has been described in conjunction with thepreferred embodiments, it is evident that numerous alternatives,depictions, variations and uses will be apparent to those skilled in theart in light of the foregoing description. Thus, it is understood thatthe invention is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrativedetails, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a video frequencydivision multiplexing coupler connected between a video network serverand each of a plurality of clients to receive video and telephonesignals from the clients using telephone wires and transmit only thevideo signals to the video network server; and a telephone frequencydivision multiplexing coupler connected between a telephone networkswitch and each of the plurality of clients to receive the video andtelephone signals from the clients using the telephone wires andtransmit only the telephone signals to the telephone network switch. 2.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the video frequency divisionmultiplexing coupler further receives video signals from the videonetwork server and transmits the video signals to the clients using thetelephone wires; and wherein the telephone frequency divisionmultiplexing coupler further receives telephone signals from thetelephone network switch and transmits the telephone signals to theclients using the telephone wires.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising a local area network connected to each of the plurality ofclients and to the video network server to communicate control andconfiguration data regarding the video signals communicated using thetelephone wires.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: avideo network server to receive and transmit the video signals to andfrom the plurality of clients using the telephone wires; and a wide areanetwork gateway connected to the video network server to communicate thevideo signals between the video network server and other wide areanetwork terminals.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising afan-in multiplexor connected between the video network server and thetelephone wires, the multiplexor having a quantity of telephone wireconnections, a lesser quantity of video network server connections, anda plurality of fan-in relays to connect the telephone wire connectionsto video network server connections.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5,wherein the fan-in multiplexor further comprises a control portconnected to the video network server to control the connections made bythe plurality of fan-in relays.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein thefan-in multiplexor further comprises a repeater associated with eachrelay to condition the signals communicated between the video networkserver and the respective client on the respective telephone wire. 8.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the video frequencydivision multiplexing coupler and the telephone frequency divisionmultiplexing coupler is a passive device.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the frequency division multiplexing coupler comprises: a firstmodulating unit to modulate an outgoing telephone signal to a firstcarrier frequency; a second modulating unit to modulate an outgoingvideo signal to a second carrier frequency; and a frequency multiplexercoupled to the first modulating unit and to the second modulating unitto multiplex the outgoing telephone signal and the outgoing video signalonto a single telephone wire for transmission to a remote site.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 9, wherein the frequency division multiplexingcoupler further comprises a digital to analog converter coupled to thefirst modulating unit.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein thefrequency division multiplexing coupler further comprises a filtercoupled to the first modulation unit to filter away harmonics in theoutgoing telephone signal which do not correspond to the first carrierfrequency.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frequency divisionmultiplexing coupler further comprises: a first incoming signal filterto filter out a first band allocated for an incoming telephone signal; asecond incoming signal filter to filter out a second band allocated foran incoming video signal; a first demodulator unit coupled to the firstincoming signal filter to demodulate the incoming telephone signal atthe first band to a demodulated telephone signal; and a seconddemodulator unit coupled to the second incoming signal filter todemodulate the incoming video signal at the second band to a demodulatedvideo signal.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the frequencydivision multiplexing coupler further comprises a demodulating filtercoupled to the first demodulator unit to filter away harmonics in thedemodulated telephone signal which do not correspond to the telephonecarrier signal.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the frequencydivision multiplexing coupler further comprises an analog to digitalconverter coupled to the demodulating filter.
 15. An apparatuscomprising: means for video demultiplexing frequency divisionmultiplexed video and telephone signals received from a client throughtelephone wires and for transmitting only the video signals to a server,the means for video demultiplexing being connected between the videoserver and each of a plurality of clients; and means for telephonydemultiplexing frequency division multiplexed video and telephonesignals received from a client through telephone wires and fortransmitting only the telephone signals to a telephone network switch.16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising means separate fromthe telephone wires for communicating control and configuration dataregarding video signals between the server and the clients.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 15, further comprising means for connecting theserver to a wide area network gateway to communicate video signals tothe server.
 18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising means forfanning in a larger quantity of telephone wire client connections to alesser quantity of server connections.
 19. The apparatus of claim 15,further comprising: means for modulating telephone signals to a firstcarrier frequency; means for modulating video signals to a secondcarrier frequency; and means for multiplexing the modulated telephonesignals and the modulated video signals onto a single telephone wire fortransmission.
 20. A method comprising: receiving a combined multiplexedclient telephone signal and client video signal on a single line;demultiplexing the client telephone signal from the single line andproviding it to a telephone switch; demultiplexing the client videosignal from the single line and providing it to a video server; andreceiving control and configuration data regarding video signals fromthe client over a network connection separate from the single line. 21.The method of claim 20, wherein the single line comprises at least oneof telephone wire, a local area network wire, and a power supply wire.22. The method of claim 20, wherein demultiplexing comprises frequencydemultiplexing.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein demultiplexing theclient telephone signal and the client video signal from the single linecomprises: demodulating telephone signals from a first carrierfrequency; and demodulating video signals from a second carrierfrequency.
 24. The method of claim 20, further comprising: controlling aclient relay through using the received control and configuration datato alternately connect the single line of the respective client to oneof either video or telephone equipment of the respective client; andcontrolling a network relay using the received control and configurationdata to alternately connect the single line of the respective client toone of either the video server or the telephone switch.
 25. An apparatuscomprising: a plurality of client relays, each associated with one of aplurality of clients, to alternately connect lines of a first wirednetwork for a respective client to one of either video or telephoneequipment of the respective client, the client relays being controlledby a video network server through a second network, the second networkbeing separate from the first wired network; and a plurality of networkrelays, each associated with one of the plurality of clients, toalternately connect lines of the first wired network for the respectiveclient to one of either the video network server or a telephone networkswitch, the network relays being controlled by the video network serverthrough the second network.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein thesecond network carries commands from the video network server to theclients to control the client relays and the network relays and whereinthe respective client controls the respective relays in response to thecommands received from the video network server.
 27. The apparatus ofclaim 25, further comprising a wide area network gateway connected tothe video network server to communicate video signals between the videonetwork server and other wide area network terminals, the communicatedvideo signals being transmitted and received to and from the clients andthe video network server.
 28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein thefirst wired network comprises a wired telephone network the apparatusfurther comprising a fan-in multiplexor connected between the videonetwork server and the first wired network, the multiplexor having aquantity of telephone wire connections, a lesser quantity of videonetwork server connections, and a plurality of fan-in relays to connectthe telephone wire connections to video network server connections. 29.The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the fan-in multiplexor furthercomprises a control port connected to the video network server tocontrol the connections made by the plurality of fan-in relays.
 30. Theapparatus of claim 28, wherein the fan-in multiplexor further comprisesa repeater associated with each relay to condition the signalscommunicated between the video network server and the respective clienton the respective telephone wire.
 31. A method comprising: receivingfrequency multiplexed video signals from a server using telephone wiresand frequency demultiplexing the video signals for transmission to aclient; receiving frequency multiplexed telephone signals from atelephone network switch using the telephone wires and frequencydemultiplexing the telephone signals for transmission to the client; andreceiving video and telephone signals from the client and frequencymultiplexing them onto the telephone wires for transmission;
 32. Themethod of claim 31, further comprising communicating control andconfiguration data regarding video signals with the server separate fromthe telephone wires.
 33. The method of claim 31, wherein receiving videoand telephone signals from the client and frequency multiplexing themonto the telephone wires comprises: modulating telephone signals to afirst carrier frequency; modulating video signals to a second carrierfrequency; and multiplexing the modulated telephone signals and themodulated video signals onto a single telephone wire for transmission.34. A method comprising: receiving video signals from a server andfrequency multiplexing them onto telephone wires for transmission to aclient; receiving telephone signals from a telephone network switch andfrequency multiplexing them onto the telephone wires for transmission tothe client; receiving frequency multiplexed video and telephone signalsfrom the client; demultiplexing the video signals and transmitting onlythe video signals to the server; and demultiplexing the telephonesignals and from the client and transmitting only the telephone signalsto the telephone network switch.
 35. The method of claim 34, furthercomprising communicating control and configuration data regarding videosignals with the client separate from the telephone wires.
 36. Themethod of claim 34, wherein frequency multiplexing video and telephonesignals onto the telephone wires comprises: modulating telephone signalsto a first carrier frequency; modulating video signals to a secondcarrier frequency; and multiplexing the modulated telephone signals andthe modulated video signals onto a single telephone wire fortransmission.
 37. An article of manufacture comprising amachine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by amachine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising: receiving acombined multiplexed client telephone signal and client video signal ona single line; demultiplexing the client telephone signal from thesingle line and providing it to a telephone switch; demultiplexing theclient video signal from the single line and providing it to a videoserver; and receiving control and configuration data regarding videosignals from the client over a network connection separate from thesingle line.
 38. The article of claim 37, wherein demultiplexing theclient telephone signal and the client video signal from the single linecomprises: demodulating telephone signals from a first carrierfrequency; and demodulating video signals from a second carrierfrequency.
 39. The article of claim 37, further comprising data that,when accessed by the machine, cause the machine to perform operationscomprising: controlling a client relay through using the receivedcontrol and configuration data to alternately connect the single line ofthe respective client to one of either video or telephone equipment ofthe respective client; and controlling a network relay using thereceived control and configuration data to alternately connect thesingle line of the respective client to one of either the video serveror the telephone switch.
 40. An article of manufacture comprising amachine-accessible medium including data that, when accessed by amachine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising: receivingfrequency multiplexed video signals from a server using telephone wiresand frequency demultiplexing the video signals for transmission to aclient; receiving frequency multiplexed telephone signals from atelephone network switch using the telephone wires and frequencydemultiplexing the telephone signals for transmission to the client; andreceiving video and telephone signals from the client and frequencymultiplexing them onto the telephone wires for transmission;
 41. Thearticle of claim 31, further comprising data that, when accessed by themachine, cause the machine to perform operations communicating controland configuration data regarding video signals with the server separatefrom the telephone wires.
 42. The article of claim 31, wherein receivingvideo and telephone signals from the client and frequency multiplexingthem onto the telephone wires comprises: modulating telephone signals toa first carrier frequency; modulating video signals to a second carrierfrequency; and multiplexing the modulated telephone signals and themodulated video signals onto a single telephone wire for transmission.43. An article of manufacture comprising a machine-accessible mediumincluding data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine toperform operations comprising: receiving video signals from a server andfrequency multiplexing them onto telephone wires for transmission to aclient; receiving telephone signals from a telephone network switch andfrequency multiplexing them onto the telephone wires for transmission tothe client; receiving frequency multiplexed video and telephone signalsfrom the client; demultiplexing the video signals and transmitting onlythe video signals to the server; and demultiplexing the telephonesignals and from the client and transmitting only the telephone signalsto the telephone network switch.
 44. The article of claim 43, furthercomprising data that, when accessed by the machine, cause the machine toperform operations comprising communicating control and configurationdata regarding video signals with the client separate from the telephonewires.
 45. The article of claim 43, wherein frequency multiplexing videoand telephone signals onto the telephone wires comprises: modulatingtelephone signals to a first carrier frequency; modulating video signalsto a second carrier frequency; and multiplexing the modulated telephonesignals and the modulated video signals onto a single telephone wire fortransmission.